Firemen hope to upgrade rescue unit


Thursday, January 24, 2008
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Firemen hope to upgrade rescue unit

By BARRY BURLESON
Editor

Photo by Sue Watson

Demo

Adam Stone (left) and Tracy Jeffries check out the demo rescue vehicle on Thursday of last week at the fire station.

A larger rescue vehicle is high on the Holly Springs Fire Department’s need list.

Chief Kenny Holbrook discussed the possibility of replacing the city’s small, 13-year-old unit with the board of aldermen last week. Thursday, he had a new, larger demo unit on display at the fire department for employees and city officials to check out.

“During the last two years’ budget, we’ve been trying to upgrade our rescue unit,” Holbrook said.

“When we first started (rescue response), we had minimal equipment. We’ve progressed greatly and gotten people educated in different levels of rescue.”

Those include automobile accidents, confined spaces, hazardous materials, and high and low angle rope rescues.

“Now, we have complications in getting all of our equipment to the scene in a prompt, efficient manner,” Holbrook said. “The present unit is too small.”

The chief was evaluating the size of the demo unit Thursday afternoon at the fire station. He was impressed with its size, storage space and all of its capabilities. The walk-around rescue truck is all-access from the outside with roll-up doors. There is room for six rescue personnel aboard. There is also storage atop the unit, plus a 9,000-watt light tower for night operations.

The approximate cost of the truck is $330,000.

“We have enough equipment now to fill it up,” Holbrook said. “It will be loaded. We have the equipment – and we have to be able to get it to the scene quickly.

“Time is of the essence, which is why we’re looking at a larger vehicle. We need to meet the capabilities of our well-trained people.”

He said the new truck would meet the department’s long-term needs – in serving the city and the county – as growth is on the horizon.

“This would serve us over 20 years,” Holbrook said.

“We’ve invited the mayor and board (of aldermen) to look at it and see about funding. And we will be talking with the county, too. We seriously need a vehicle of this magnitude to service Marshall County.”

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